Arbor Day Presentation
This is a first draft script for the Arbor Day school presentation at Green Street Grammar School in Arbor Day. Most of the lines here are taken nearly verbatim from the short, but sound quality and the multiple over-lapping voices make it difficult to create a full line by line analysis. Two Unidentified Boys: (in unison) First comes the Earth, the mother of all mankind. Warm and fertile, the eternal source of life. (Two more unidentified boys, followed by Daniel Boone, Alfalfa Switzer and Buckwheat Thomas. They all deliver shovels of dirt to a pot. Buckwheat steps forward struggling to deliver lines. ) Buckwheat's Mother: (prompting) With plow and spade, the hole is made. Buckwheat: (excitedly) That's it! (He steps back as Spanky McFarland comes out.) Spanky: Men may come, and men may go, but I have heard them say, big oaks from little acorns grow so we may have Arbor Day. (Back stage, Darla Hood is poised to come out, but Spanky stops her to adjust the leaning tree. Darla then enters.) Darla: (sweetly) It's not enough to dig and plow to seed the Earth with it's grain. It's not enough to plant so now I bring the gentle rain. (Music crescendo.) (Intermission for the kids to change costumes. Mr. Smithers brings in George and Olive, the Murphy Midgets. Music continues.) (Darla, Effie, Gloria and three unidentified girls enter in ballet costumes. ) Darla, Effie, Gloria and the girls: Sally magic, sally magic in the willow leaves. ...walking in the leaves. ...in the happy leaves. ...in the willows leaves. (Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Daniel and two unidentified boys re-enter.) Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Daniel and the boys: Stalwart fellows, rugged fellows, we're the sturdy oaks. ...we're the hardy oaks. (The boys and girls form a ballet sequence with Darla getting a solo spot. Everyone pulls back for Alfalfa's solo. ) Alfalfa: (off-key) Behold the true woodman shall let us roam and forage out to thank this little ground delay to honor trees on Arbor Day. (Spanky steps forward.) Spanky: (astutely) I am the woodchopper with his axe to cut and chop with all his axe this little tree which grows so green. Alfalfa: No, desist, my woodsman, beau, touch not a bough on this green tree! Spanky: I'll chop and hack all I please. Alfalfa: No! Spanky: Yes! Alfalfa: You're supposed to say, why not? Spanky: Why not? Alfalfa: Because... (cueing music then singing) I think I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the Earth's sweet flowing breast. (Omits part of Joyce Kilmer's "Trees" here.) ...all day and lifts her leafy arms to pray. A tree thay may in summer wear a nest of robins in her hair. Upon whose bosom snow has lain, who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made... (Forgets more words here.) ...only God can make a tree. (The Murphy Midgets add their own little ditty here.) The Murphy Midgets: Should we sing a show about the trees of Arbor Day? Should we sing a song about the trees that proudly sway? Should we thank the pencil and the sweet stories it tells? (Band joins in with them.) Shall we tell? What's there to tell? (Music turns into a more bawdy calliope tune.) Come and hear the music, friends. All over us come and see our show. (Spanky looks at Alfalfa. ) As you can tell, boy, do we have songs, and on the high notes we have strippers. (Teacher Miss Argyle and Principal Cass look shocked. ) One, two, three, four... George only: Boy, this is swell.... Shake your toes and shake your toes.... (Principal Cass interupts and rushes to stop them....) ---- Category: Our Gang Paraphernalia